


A is for Annoying

by Psychodelikas



Series: The Alphabet of Dreams [2]
Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Explicit Language, Gen, I will abuse those two tags until the end of time, I'm in it for the tags, It has begun!, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 17:25:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12258798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psychodelikas/pseuds/Psychodelikas
Summary: Life had never been a walk in the park for young Valaria Straits. A dark secret kept her from having any sort of meaningful relationships of any kind until she met her one and only friend in the whole world, Zanthe Reinhart. It was a match made in heaven.But life always has something in store for Vala, and it's usually something she'd rather not have at all.





	A is for Annoying

I looked at the castle which had haunted my every waking hour for the past two weeks. Well, in truth, it had haunted my every waking hour since early childhood but recently, it had gotten worse. I actually took a good, long look at it for the first time in my entire life.

Its tower and turrets had been such an integral part of my short time on the planet since I could remember. I was only a little girl when its construction had begun and my fate along with that of the entire capital’s had been sealed.

I tilted my head to one side. It looked the same except at an awkward angle. I couldn’t understand what about that castle had retained my interest and fascination from such a fragile age. All I could see was an imposing, stone castle built around a tower with turrets placed according to the main four cardinal and intercardinal directions. A parking lot stood in place of a moat and roses were the only flowers growing in the tastefully placed bushes.

Everything was almost cliché-ish. And yet, it was still everyone’s favourite gossip topic nearly two decades after its construction. And it didn’t look like interest would be lost any time soon.

I straightened my head and washed my hands of the damn thing. I got in my car and drove home, furious beyond reason all of a sudden. But thankfully, I had a very long drive ahead of me. I smiled a bit ironic. I finally saw one good reason why everybody was so stricken with the place. It had been built at quite some distance from the edge of the city which meant plenty of distance far away from whatever (or whoever) one wanted to get away. But then again, one needed a special kind of invitation to get through the front door and…

I hit the wheel hard, groaning through my gritted teeth. I violently hit the ‘Play’ button on my phone, put my headphones on and let sweet, sweet rock music took my frustration away.

What! In God’s name! _What_ was so fascinating about a stone building?! I had had a phase of my own, heck! I had spent half my childhood and the most part of my teenage years fantasizing about that place… And its owner, if I really was to be honest with myself. But I had grown out of it. I had moved on. Why couldn’t everyone else do the same? But then again, I had gotten over my phase in a very special way, a way which wouldn’t even have existed if it hadn’t been for that one fateful night in which my entire world would be turned upside down.

The loud and irritating honk of another person’s car brought me back to the real world and I continued on my way. I realized then that I had already entered the city and the exit I needed would soon come up. I took a deep breath and focused on the road.

Despite the fact that I was born and raised in a capital, the city wasn’t much to look at. Once, it had rivaled even the great capitals of Europe, capitals one only got to see in movies or read about in books. But after two World Wars and several changes in regimes, this once beautiful city was a little away from being designated as a ruin. A lot of people have forgotten that where malls and high-end designer shops are there used to be gentlemen’s clubs and classy, two-level houses. Even a castle or two.

Or maybe that was it. That was the reason why people were so fascinated with that damned castle. It served as a stone reminder of this city’s former glory. In fact, the turrets’ style closely resembled that of medieval times when our country used to have a royal family.

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. It was ridiculous how even something as simple as a drive through town made my thoughts wander to that stone nightmare.

I had rarely been that happy to finally park in front of my house. Thankfully, my parent’s hadn’t come home from work yet but I was greeted by the synced radios as usual.

“There’s my girl!” I exclaimed smiling as I got out of the car. No sooner had my foot touched the ground that my sweet German Shepard Kyra jumped on me, barking happy. “How’s my beautiful girl? Did you miss me? You have no idea how much I missed you!”

And that was how one hour went by me as I played with my favourite person in the whole world. Then my stomach suddenly reminded me I hadn’t eaten anything since waking up. After I made sure Kyra had her food and water as well, I went to my room and turned my computer on.

I fixed myself something to drink then the remainder of the day went by me as I worked on my dissertation paper. I didn’t even hear my parents come in and they had to pass by my window in order to get in the house too.

“Sweetie, did you hear me?” mom almost shouted from the threshold.

“Huh?”

“Honey, did you spend all day like this?”

“Well, no. I went for a drive after school. Oh! And I fed Kyra…” I clicked my tongue at the typo I made and quickly corrected it.

“Valaria, are you feeling all right?” mom asked concerned.

I winced at hearing my name. “For the thousandth time, mother! _Don’t_ use my name. I hate it. You know I hate it. I prefer Vala.”

“Well, _Vala,_ ” mother mocked, “it’s the only thing which makes you look at me so I will use the name your father and I gave you as often as I please.”

I stared at her with a blank expression.

“Besides it’s a very beautiful name so!” Mom joined her hands together with a clap. “Dinner will be ready in thirty.

“Was it that hard to just tell me so in the first place?” I mumbled under my breath after she left. I shook my head then resumed writing.

And of course got caught up and mom had to come get me. Not without making a few comments for which I was just too tired to respond. But at least they were tired as well and there was a good movie on the TV so we barely talked while eating.

I hung out with my mom and dad for a little while after dinner, wondering not for the first time how could I have deep green eyes and hair a mixture of blonde and red locks from dark haired and blue-eyed parents. For a long time, I had been scared I might have been adopted, despite the fact that I was more like the female version of my father with the nose and smile as the only things of my mother’s.

Then I had seen pictures of my grandparents on both sides. Dad’s parents had both been blonde while mother’s had both been redheads. I had felt somewhat glad that my own parents had been the genetic anomalies instead of me. It had made me feel special but in a very good way for the first time.

But not two days after discovering that I owed my mismatched hair to my grandparents I had met a man with mismatched eyes _exactly_ like my own colours.

I had met _him_ and I had been only nine years old.

It really shouldn’t have surprised me that after a visit to his castle and reminiscing of times past, I dreamt those mismatched eyes that very night after bidding my parents good night. What _had_ surprise me was my heavy breathing and throb between my legs.

*****

***      ***

*****

“Val, can you hear me?”

I blinked confused and smiled. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Lily laughed then took a good look at me. “Val, are you okay? You’ve been on another planet all day.”

_Well, no, not exactly. I’ve just been fantasizing about something I haven’t fantasized in years but instead of being happy, I am actually scared to death about how my body reacted so yeah, I’m just peachy!_ “Yes, I’m sorry. I stood up late again with dissertation last night,” I lied shamelessly. “And I’m having trouble sleeping again too.”

“You poor thing,” she said half joking, half concerned. “Are you just embarrassed to admit it’s a guy who’s been keeping you up?”

“Ha, ha, and ha,” I mocked.

Lily shrugged carelessly. “Oh, well. It will happen sooner or later.”

“Never rather than later,” I muttered under my breath as I was putting my notebook back in my bag.

Lily chose to ignore that. “So are you going to sign up?”

I blinked confused at her. “Sign up?”

“Yeah, for the free visit.”

I frowned even more confused and Lily rolled her eyes. “Man, when you get sleep deprived, you _really_ get sleep deprived.”

“Could we please skip to the part where you tell me about this free visit to where?” I mocked as we exited the lecture hall and headed out.

“Oh, pfffffffft!” she puffed a bit too similar to my best friend. “Only the event of the freakin’ century!”

“Which is?” I pressed almost bored as we finally exited the university.

“A once in a lifetime opportunity to visit the Chocolate Factory.”

I stopped dead in my tracks which was sadly on the entrance steps. “What?”

“You heard me,” Lily replied with a teasing smile.

“I heard,” I repeated, trying to keep my voice even. “But what does it mean?”

“It means that whoever of the people who have signed up for a free tour of the castle will have to pass a one-on-one interview with the MC and then…” Lily paused for the effect. “One day with Willy Wonka himself which could end with a surprise, if the ad is to be believed.”

My heart was beating unusually fast.

“So! Are you gonna –”

“No!” I almost shouted, suddenly wanting to be anywhere but there.

“Whoa! What’s the matter with you? It was just a question.”

“It’s stupid and silly and more than ridiculous!” I snapped. “There are places and people in this town ten times more fascinating than a stone castle and its mismatched-eyed owner!”

Lily opened her mouth to reply but then her eyes widened. “How did you know he has mismatched eyes?”

My heart sank. _Nice going, genius._

I blinked then swallowed hard and instead of saying something, I quickly made my way to my car. Then I got the hell out of there.

Once I was sure I had put enough distance between the university and myself, I called my best and only true friend in the whole world. She answered after the third tone. _“Hey, gorgeous. What’s up?”_

“Are you busy? Can we meet?”

_“Whoa, are you okay?”_ Zanthe asked concerned.

“Mmmm, no, not really,” I admitted as I carefully passed a car.

_“Is Grand National in an hour okay?”_

“Can you make that half an hour, Zane? I really need to talk with you.”

_“I’m on my way now. Be there as soon as I can. Love you!”_

“Love you too.”

Of course I arrived at Grand National Park in just under ten minutes. I quickly looked around for a safe parking space then made my way to Zane and mine’s favourite spot. Grand National was almost fairy tale-like between mid-spring and late summer but the trees and bushes had barely begun growing leaves. However, that was to be expected since March was half gone. In the last years, weather had been more than a tad capricious.

I entered through the east side and continued heading east till I reached the statue of a peacock next to a thick-trunked tree then went west, to the lake. I stopped close to its edge and took a deep breath to calm down. Then I slowly started walking along the shoreline until I reached the all too familiar bench my best friend and I had made ours all those years ago.

I had barely sat down when Zane shouted my name as she ran towards me.

“Phew!” she breathed as she crashed down next to me. “Ah! Made it!”

“Did you ran the entire way here?” I asked amused.

“No!” she exclaimed insulted as she took her golden hair out of her green eyes. “I only ran once I reached the lake.”

“And before that, right after you got here?”

“Yep.”

“And before that, to get the bus?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And before that, right after you left your house?”

“Like I said,” Zane smiled. “Only once I reached the lake.”

I couldn’t help myself and laughed.

“So!” Zane said still a little out of breath. “What’s the reason for my lung replacement operation this time?”

I laughed again then my amusement vanished. “Zane, I think I’m losing my mind!”

“What happened?” she asked concerned.

“To be perfectly honest, I have no idea!” I confessed almost hysteric then the words just poured out of me. “It’s all because lately, all everybody can talk about is that damned castle like it’s something made out of magic or whatever! But what I really can’t stand is how people seem to be so infatuated with the friggin’ owner like he’s some kind of charming prince! All because of his stupid mismatched eyes!”

I took a deep breath to calm down because I realized that I had shouted that last bit of my rant and passers-by were looking at me with big eyes.

Zane was staring at me with her mouth half open which meant she was wondering for the nth time if she should lock me up for good. “I have so many questions, my head is beginning to hurt. But I’ll start with the most obvious one. Why now?”

I frowned confused at her.

She shrugged. “People have been talking about him and his castle for years. Why are you so worked up about it now?”

I took a moment to think. She was absolutely right, of course. But I couldn’t come up with a single reason why so I just shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know, Zane. I really have no idea why. It just bothers me. Really bad.”

“And it definitely has _nothing_ to do with the fact that your twenty-fifth birthday is coming up and with it, a free ticket to the castle.”

“No!” I shouted embarrassed and annoyed then I immediately covered my mouth with both hands.

Zane let out a throaty laugh. “Which brings me to my next question,” she continued. “What’s the _real_ reason behind this hostility of yours? What happened or didn’t happen that made you hate that place so much?”

I slowly uncovered my mouth and carefully thought over my answer before speaking. “I couldn’t have been more than eight or nine. My parents were throwing this big party. They had just closed an incredible deal and were celebrating. Naturally, the man with whom they had closed the deal was there too.” I smiled nostalgic. “I had never met someone quite like him. Or with eyes like that. God! One was red, the other gold. Just like my hair! I was immediately stricken with him. He played with me the entire night. It was only the next day that I learnt that my parents had assisted him with overseeing the construction of his stone castle.”

Zane was staring at me with eyes wide and mouth open, the all too familiar look of hunger plastered all over her face whenever she was told a good story.

“That was the first time I saw him and it would be years later until I would see him again,” I went on. “I was about fourteen years old. Mom and dad had been invited over for dinner yet _again_ but they decided to bring me with them. Oh, man…” I sighed, my mind far away. “Nothing I had ever imagined as a child even came close to that stone castle. It was so beautiful and so like something taken out of a fantasy novel, I never wanted to leave!” I felt my smile dropping. “Then I excused myself to go to the bathroom which was obviously a lie. I went exploring and came across an unlocked room…”

“And?” Zane pressed me after a long moment of silence, her green eyes sparkling. “Did you open it?”

I swallowed. “I did,” I said dryly. “And not a day goes by that I don’t regret doing that because what I saw…” I couldn’t continue again.

“Val, look…” Zane said unsure. “If you don’t wanna talk…”

“I saw an orgy behind that door,” I snapped before I could stop myself. “Six men and two women and a bit too many strap-on’s and dildos and ropes and I was just a kid, for Christ’s sake!”

I rarely saw my best friend with eyes that big or her jaw all the way to the Earth’s core. Even less with both at the same time. But I couldn’t add one more word so I just waited for her to say something.

“Is that… Oh, man, Vala! I am so sorry…” she said a bit strained.

I audibly rolled my eyes. “You can laugh now, you complete asshole.”

I had barely finished saying those words and Zane was already laughing her pretty blonde head off. But she had that kind of laugh one could not resist and I smiled against my will as I crossed my hands over my chest.

“Oh, God!” she chuckled after she managed to calm down. “Oh, Vala… Oh, my poor, sweet Vala!” She laughed again, covering her face with her hands.

“I am so happy the single most sick and disturbing moment of my life is so amusing to you!” I mocked.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Zane quickly said then took a moment to get a hold of herself. “But you have to admit. This takes the phrase _awkward dinner_ to a whole new level!”

“No shit, Sherlock!” But I actually managed a small laugh myself.

“Damn!” Zane exclaimed after a short moment’s pause.

“Yeah…”

“Is that why you’ve avoided men at all costs? Actually, scratch that. _Of course_ that’s why. Heck, that explains why you’re so angry about everything!”

“It does?” I asked relieved.

“Well, no, not exactly,” my sneaky best friend said smiling, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “Clearly, you suffered an immense trauma. _At the time._ Obviously, you grew up within normal limits. But I can’t help wondering.” She grinned all the way up to her ears. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

I pressed my lips into a line and looked away.

Zane gasped dramatically. “There _is!_ Now, how did I knew that?”

“Because fuck you, that’s how,” I told her sweetly.

“My thoughts exactly,” she said with a wicked smile.

I whined and looked away again.

“Oh, come on, Vala,” Zane laughed. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of! In fact, it’s kinda admirable. To go from trauma to lust? You should get some kind of medal for that.”

I analyzed her from head to toe. “How do you know it’s lust?”

“Aside from the fact that you haven’t denied it?” she replied sneakily. “It’s written all over your face.”

“No, it’s not!”

“I can take a picture if you want.”

“It’s not funny, Zane!” I protested. “None of this is funny or normal or anything but shameful and just plain wrong!”

“I never said it was or wasn’t any of those things,” she replied casually. “I only said you should get a medal for getting through a traumatic episode all on your own.”

I stared at her annoyed. “You know, you’ll make a damn good lawyer one day.”

“If only I were studying to become one,” she laughed. “But back to the matter at hand. What are we gonna do next?”

“Huh?” I exclaimed silly.

“Well, obviously you have a lot of repressed issues and more than a few desires on top of those,” she grinned. “The only question we need to ask ourselves is are you gonna wait for your birthday to face your demons, or are we gonna tempt fate and sign up for the free pass?”

“Well, I think I… wait, you knew about that?” I asked confused.

“I am a student enrolled in a university so, yeah, I did,” she mocked smiling.

I audibly rolled my eyes again. “I thought it was one university at a time, not all at once.”

“And it’s not. It’s only five at a time unless it’s your twenty-fifth birthday which I now remember makes you ineligible so I guess we have one answer to one question.”

“Yeah,” I agreed flatly, looking at the lake. “At least we have that…”

“What are you thinking about, Val?” she asked softly after a small moment of silence.

I sighed heavily. “That none of this is right. I mean, it can’t possibly be right. How can I be disgusted and intrigued at the same time and over something so… just not right?”

Zane frowned confused. “I’m not exactly sure I understand.”

“This whole sexual curiosity,” I explained a bit uncomfortably. “I mean, I’m curious myself but not about… _that!”_

If Zane had been smiling wider than she already was, her face would have split in two. “And what _are_ you sexually curious about, my dear Vala?”

“None of your business, my dear Zane,” I replied sweetly.

“Fair enough,” she chuckled. Then she grinned wickedly.

“What?”

“You have to admit. You’ll have one hell of a birthday this year!”

“Shut up, Zane!”

I spent the remainder of the day in Zanthe’s great company. We laughed and exchanged the latest happenings at each other’s classes. I envied her decision to drop out of her first college choice then enroll in a different one. Arts sounded so much better than my chosen field of law from the free-time point of view. We didn’t even realize it had started getting dark until my mother called to check if I was okay.

I felt weird when I finally went into my room but then again, I always felt like that after talking with Zane. We had such fun and were so incredibly alike, even our own parents often wondered if maybe we were actually related in the slightest. I worked a little on my dissertation after dinner then went straight to bed.

And of course, I woke up in the middle of the night once again with another throb between my legs after having dreamt mismatched eyes. Again.

“Oh, damn Jared Korrick to hell…” I muttered as I fell back down on the pillows.

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaaand that was the end of chapter one! And you're still here? THANK YOU!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Please, don't be shy with your comments. I am a nervous wreck just thinking about what reactions this will get and more than curious about your opinions. :)
> 
> Chapter Two will be up and running I hope by the end of the week. If not, next week for sure.


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